RDBA encouraging residents to shop local

A simple point and click makes shopping easy on the Internet, but those purchases don’t help fix potholes in local roads, pay for police and fire protection or keep area parks looking clean and green.

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By Staff Reports

The Rolla Daily News - Rolla, MO

By Staff Reports

Posted Dec. 8, 2013 at 9:00 AM

By Staff Reports

Posted Dec. 8, 2013 at 9:00 AM

A simple point and click makes shopping easy on the Internet, but those purchases don’t help fix potholes in local roads, pay for police and fire protection or keep area parks looking clean and green.

The sales tax from local purchases has a direct effect on community services and the employees who work for the county and city municipalities.

The Rolla Downtown Business Association (RDBA) is again sponsoring a shop locally campaign to encourage area residents to explore and shop, particularly with the downtown businesses.

“Most of our downtown businesses are the small mom and pop operations,” said RDBA Vice President Kent Bagnall. “To keep our downtown vibrant and successful, we depend on our community to shop with us. We have so much to offer with unique shops and specialty businesses.”

The 2013 “Shop Downtown Rolla for Christmas” promotion will end at noon Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Area residents who spend $10 with any of the 26 participating businesses will have the opportunity to receive one punch on a promotional punch card. The punch cards are available at the participating businesses.

When five punches have been received, the customer completes the entry on the card and takes it to the drop box inside Central Federal Savings & Loan, 210 W. 10th St. Entries may also be delivered at the bank’s drive-through.

Two lucky winners’ names will be drawn from the entries, winning $250 each in Downtown Dollars. Those dollars may be spent with any of the participating businesses. The winners will have until Feb. 1, 2014, to spend those dollars.

“Businesses in both our downtown business district and our arts and entertainment district are participating,” said RDBA President Lonna Sowers. “There’s quite a variety of choices in business types. You can get all of your Christmas shopping done without leaving town and fighting the traffic. Local spending has a huge impact on our community which some folks seem to forget. Our downtown businesses are rewarding customers for shopping with them.”